Bonuses are perhaps the most effective way to attract new customers to an online casino. With their help, gambling clubs can keep in their virtual walls many regular players, which is essential in an increasingly competitive environment in the industry.
Bonuses are top-rated among beginners and players with extensive experience but careless character. More experienced clients think carefully about every decision and are suspicious of rewards. Let's try to understand why and consider this system step by step.
How to Claim Bonuses at Casinos
Indeed, receiving bonuses is lovely because it means a supposedly free game. They may be offered to a new client immediately after the registration (the so-called deposit bonuses). A widespread form of dividends is a set percentage of the first deposit (for example, a 100% bonus of up to $200 for your first deposit).
There are also frequent bonuses for each deposit using methods recommended by casinos. Quite rare, there are part refunds of lost money, although once this type of bonus was trendy (especially in brick-and-mortar casinos.)
There are also many other kinds of bonuses, and sometimes there are very original, but we will describe them all. All basic types are discussed in another article published in a special section of Casinoz. In this review, we are more interested in the general mechanisms of loyalty programs.
Getting bonuses is rarely required. Usually the player decides whether to agree to such casino offers.
Do not rush to make a deposit and start playing before you do not find out all the nuances of this issue at the casino.
In some casinos, bonuses are given only after you enter the bonus code in the new player form or the particular field in your account. But some other rewards are delivered by default, so players who do not need them should contact customer support.
Be very careful with it because it often causes problems for unsuspecting customers. They automatically receive bonuses, do not bother to figure out what to do with them, and start playing. When they tried to withdraw money, they violated the wagering terms, so their winnings were canceled. And there is no one to blame.
How to Wager Bonuses
We gradually see the "dark side" of bonus programs - wagering. This English word means conditions that must be fulfilled to withdraw money from the casino after receiving bonuses.
The main requirement of any wager is to make bets on the amount that exceeds the bonus amount (or bonus and deposit) by a certain number of times.
For example, x30 (bonus plus deposit) means that before you can withdraw money, you have to make bets in the amount exceeding the total size of the deposit and bonus by thirty times. If you deposit a hundred dollars and get the same amount from the casino, you must wager $200 x 30 = $6000.
But that's not all. Few online casinos allow to win back bonuses in all their games. Most casinos excluded models with meager casino advantages from the game list. In other words, you won't be able to use your excellent blackjack or video poker knowledge.
The rules of wagering bonuses are often in the table, indicating what percentage of each bet goes to the wager. If there is 100%, it means that bets are counted ultimately. If 20%, only twenty dollars of a hundred will calculate.
Moreover, almost all casinos let's win back bonuses on bets. For example, both red and black on the roulette wheel. Bets made in games doubling video slots usually do not count. Casinos often limit the maximum size of the bet.
Carefully (very carefully!) read the wagering conditions, and do not forget to specify if there are any special rules for residents in your country because this also happens.
How to Estimate a Bonus
You have realized that not all bonuses are equally attractive to players regarding their benefits. Moreover, some offers from online casinos are generally unfavorable to customers and represent only a publicity stunt.
If you know what is meant by "the house edge", "in the long run" and "return to the player (RTP)", you can easily calculate the theoretical profitability of each bonus.
We explained these terms in detail in other articles on Casinoz.
We will use a specific example: a 100% bonus up to $100; you should win back thirty times (amount of the bonus plus the deposit). We have already calculated that for such bonus wagering, you need to make bets of $6000. At the same time, you can play only video slots and scratch card games under the terms of winning back.
Let's find this title from the games with the highest RTPs Let's assume it is a video slot offering 97%. In other words, for every $100 bet, you lose $3. For the $6000 of total wagers, it will be $180.
What happens? The casino gives you a $100 bonus but makes conditions for wagering when you theoretically lose almost twice as much. Perhaps you will be able to get this bonus. But with several thousand customers who agree to this proposal, the casino has nothing to lose, but it still works.
Fortunately, wagering is not always as hard. For example, if you need to play through the bonus thirty times under the same conditions, it is already profitable for a customer.
Should I Claim Deposit Bonuses?
With bonuses given for the first deposit, the situation is somewhat different. The idea is that you risk nothing. But the wagering conditions for such bonuses are always unrealistic. For example, it is x50 or x80. Agree that making bets of five hundred dollars, having initially only ten is difficult.
Also, remember that no deposit bonus can be no more than the maximum (fifty dollars - one), and you can get it only after you make your first deposit. It is the standard condition.
In any case, such bonuses always attract customers, which is understandable.
Summary
Not so long ago, bonus programs were much more beneficial for clients. But the excessive activity of bonus hunters led to online casinos tightening rules for obtaining and wagering bonuses. Currently, many exciting offers of this kind are much less. The most generous of them are for regular players.
It should alert you if you see insanely favorable terms in a new casino. On the other side of the game table, they are not altruists; they are making money and will not just give them away. Sometimes it is better not to take bonuses and bet your money from the game's first minutes to dispose of them according to your choice.
Be smart, read articles on Casinoz, and play in a casino wisely!